To what extent were the achievements made in the area of civil rights during the 1950s and 1960s a function of the rising economic prosperity of the period? What were the larger economic, cultural, and social contexts in which these civil rights achievements were made?

The Civil Rights Movement's goals, strategies, and support began changing as new victories and defeats in the movement transformed the message of social and political equality to one that began encompassing economic empowerment for the Black community. The 1950's-1960's was a span of two decades of radical changes in the infrastructure of American political and social spheres. From the mid 50's to 60's, the fight for civil rights was led primarily by leaders advocating nonviolence and civil disobedience.

After the Civil War, in which slavery was abolished, segregation set in in full force and those slaves who were freed were denied their basic rights, including the right to vote, with a series of arguments that established supposed inferiority due to race on the part of African Americans, by whites. The movement strengthened its efforts and it became so effective, that it achieved its political, social and economic goals through the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which also led to the institution of the Voting Rights Act in 1965 and then the Fair Housing Act of 1968. These laws strengthened the federal government's power to regulate state government's denial of civil rights.

The Civil War era was a period of great economic, political, and social upheaval in American history. Due to the war, the whole of the South's economic structure was literally destroyed.